Margaret TOPPING, Supernatural Proust: Myth and Metaphor in A La Recherche du Temps Perdu, Chicago, University of Chicago Press. 2007, 224 p.
ISBN 978-0-7083-1866-9
ISBN-10 0-7083-1866-5
SUMMARY
A monumental exploration of memory, love, sexuality, social relations, and the creative process, Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu builds a complex world that is rich in religious and mythical imagery. In Supernatural Proust,Margaret Topping analyzes how Proust drew from areas outside of theusual Christian and classical canons, including fairytales, folklore,astrology, and Celtic and Eastern religions. The first book to examinethis aspect of Proust’s work, Supernatural Proust alsoconsiders the author’s manuscripts, correspondence, and early writingin order to fully evaluate the significance of this network of images.
CONTENTS
Introduction
An introduction to Proust's Transformation of Religious and Mythical Sources
Distribution Tables
Theories of Metaphor
Chapter 1: Magic and Fairytale
Fairy Queens and Wicked Witches
Society and Metamorphosis
Ali-Baba and les invertis
Artists and Alchemists
Time's Flying Armchair
Chapter 2: Legend and Folklore
Superstition and Talismans
Pirates and Adventures
Medieval Romances
Fables and Morality
Chapter 3: Spiritualism and Astrology
Astral Projections
Desting and the Planets
Love and the Stars
Spiritualism and Transcendence
Chapter 4: Celtic and Eastern Religions
Society and Structure
Reincarnation and Memory
Nirvana and Art
Religious Travesties
Paganism, Nature and the jeunes flies